Michael Simmons

American writer Michael L. Simmons' first association with Hollywood came in 1933, when his novel The Bowery was adapted for the screen. Simmons went on to freelance at Monogram, Universal, and Columb...
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Birdman was the toast of the 87th Oscars on Sunday (22Feb15), earning Best Picture as Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore also celebrated big wins at Hollywood's big night.
Birdman filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu was named Best Director, while he also claimed Best Original Screenplay and Emmanuel Lubezki received the Best Cinematography award. Redmayne couldn't contain his excitement as he collected the Best Actor prize for his Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, and Julianne Moore scored Best Actress for Still Alice, while fellow awards season favourites and first-time nominees J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) and Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) walked away with the best supporting acting prizes.
Wes Anderson also had reason to celebrate as The Grand Budapest Hotel, which tied with Birdman for the most nominations with nine nods apiece, scored four titles, including Best Original Score for Alexandre Desplat. Each of the nominations for Best Original Song were performed, but it was John Legend and Common's powerful rendition of Selma track "Glory" which left actors David Oyelowo and Chris Pine in tears at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre as the audience gave the musicians a standing ovation. "Glory" went on to win the category. Meanwhile, Jennifer Hudson honoured the stars lost in the past year by singing "I Can't Let Go" as part of the In Memoriam segment, and Lady Gaga helped to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Oscar-winning movie The Sound of Music with an impressive medley of hits from the Dame Julie Andrews musical, including Edelweiss, Climb Ev'ry Mountain and the title song.
Ceremony host Neil Patrick Harris also showed off his vocals by opening the 2015 prizegiving with a comedic song and dance number with Anna Kendrick and actor/rocker Jack Black.
The full list of winners at the 2015 Oscars is:
Best Motion Picture of the Year: Birdman
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Achievement in Directing: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman
Best Writing, Original Screenplay: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo, Birdman
Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay: Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: Ida (Poland)
Best Animated Feature Film: Big Hero 6 Best Documentary, Feature: Citizenfour
Best Documentary, Short Subject: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Best Short Film, Animated: Feast Best Short Film, Live Action: The Phone Call
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song: "Glory" from Selma, by John Legend and Common
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score: Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Achievement in Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Best Achievement in Film Editing: Tom Cross, Whiplash
Best Achievement in Costume Design: Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Achievement in Production Design: Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling: Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Interstellar Best Achievement in Sound Editing: American Sniper
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing: Whiplash
Academy Honorary Awards: Jean-Claude Carriere Hayao Miyazaki Maureen O'Hara Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Harry Belafonte.

Michael Keaton's acclaimed drama Birdman looks set to win gold at the Oscars after sweeping the board at the Independent Spirit Awards on the eve of Hollywood's biggest night. The movie scooped three prizes at the show just a day before the Academy Awards, winning Best Feature, Best Male Lead for Keaton and a cinematography honour.
Other big winners at the ceremony in Santa Barbara, California on Saturday night (21Feb15) included other Oscars favourites Boyhood, Nightcrawler and Whiplash, which all landed two awards each.
Richard Linklater won Best Director for Boyhood, while his movie's star Patricia Arquette won the Best Supporting Actress honour.
Julianne Moore was named Best Female Lead for her role in Still Alice and J.K. Simmons won in the supporting actor race for Whiplash, which also won an editing prize. Nightcrawler landed trophies for Best Screenplay and Best First Feature.
Birdman, Boyhood and Whiplash will go head-to-head for the Best Picture prize at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night (22Feb15) along with The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Selma and American Sniper.

Michael Keaton and his acclaimed drama Birdman added to their awards season haul by taking the top prizes at the International Press Academy's Satellite Awards on Sunday night (15Feb15). The film, which is hotly tipped to win the Best Picture Academy Award later this month (Feb15), landed the Motion Picture prize at the Satellite Awards in Los Angeles, and Keaton won the Actor in a Motion Picture trophy.
Birdman also landed Best Original Score.
Another Oscars favourite, Julianne Moore, won the best actress prize for playing an Alzheimer's disease patient in Still Alice, while Boyhood's Patricia Arquette won the supporting actress prize and J.K. Simmons landed the male equivalent for Whiplash.
Boyhood helmer Richard Linklater won the directing prize and other awards went to Nightcrawler (Screenplay, Original) and The Imitation Game (Screenplay, Adapted), Mr. Turner (Cinematography) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (Costume Design).
In the TV categories, awards went to stars including Mark Ruffalo, who was named best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television for The Normal Heart, Keri Russell, named best Actress in a Series, Drama for The Americans, and Clive Owen, who won best Actor in a Series, Drama for The Knick.
Veteran actress Ellen Burstyn picked up the Mary Pickford lifetime achievement award and iconic special effects company Industrial Light & Magic won the Nikola Tesla Award for Visionary Technical Achievement.

Hollywood's Sexiest Man Alive, Chris Hemsworth, paid tribute to his actress wife as he collected the Excellence in Film Award at the 2015 G'Day USA Gala and Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts International Awards in Hollywood on Saturday night (31Jan15). The Avengers star and Elsa Pataky took time off from parenting duties to attend the annual gala and the Spanish actress had to listen as her husband's co-star Scarlett Johansson gushed about her man as she presented him with his latest accolade.
Recalling a moment when the Thor star fell asleep on a plane during The Avengers press tour, Johansson told the audience, "Chris decided to take a little cat nap. He collapsed into a giant perfect heap, his lion's mane gracefully falling around his prominent chiselled features."
And, hoping that "some of his stardust would drift my way", the actress added, "He's all at once sensitive and ferocious, otherworldly and grounded, is shockingly handsome and is surprisingly approachable. He is every man and like no man you've met before. He is versatile despite his physicality, which makes him a grade A movie star."
Hemsworth then took the stage at the event and gushed about his wife, Fast & Furious 6 star Pataky, calling her "the greatest thing I've gotten over the last few years", adding, "Thank you very much to everyone, but especially my wife."
Pataky is the mother of Hemsworth's daughter India Rose, two, and twin sons, Tristan and Sasha, who were born in March (14).
The actor's brothers Liam and Luke also joined the party, which was hosted by Nicole Kidman and Geoffrey Rush.
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts also honoured Birdman as its Best Picture and Michael Keaton as Best Actor, while Still Alice's Julianne Moore landed the Best Actress award and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) and Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) continued their winning streaks as Best Supporting Actor and Actress.

Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman flew off with another seven top honours at the Broadcast Film Critics Association's 20th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards in Hollywood on Thursday (15Jan15). The movie picked up the event's first award for Best Acting Ensemble and went on to win another six accolades, including Best Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Score, while the film's star Michael Keaton added two more trophies to his collection - for Best Actor and Best Actor In A Comedy.
In his acceptance speech for the latter he noted, "Nobody is really better than anyone else, but I'll take this (award)."
The Grand Budapest Hotel, which, like Birdman, had picked up nine Oscar nominations earlier in the day, claimed three Critics Choice Awards, including Best Comedy, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design, while another Academy Awards favourite, Boyhood, scored four prizes - the top honour for Best Picture, Best Director (Richard Linklater), Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Arquette), and Best Young Actor (Ellar Coltrane).
Other winners included Julianne Moore (Best Actress for Still Alice), J.K. Simmons (Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash), Bradley Cooper (Best Actor in an Action Movie for American Sniper), and Emily Blunt (Best Actress in an Action Movie for Edge of Tomorrow).
Chris Miller, the co-writer/director of The LEGO Movie had a very special reason to celebrate his win for Best Animated Movie, as it came just hours after the film was snubbed in the same category at the Oscar nominations.
He said, "What a rollercoaster of emotions today has been."
Meanwhile, special awards went to veteran director/producer Ron Howard, who was handed the Louis XIII Genius Award, Kevin Costner, who was feted with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Jessica Chastain, who was presented with the first ever MVP Award, celebrating her multiple roles in films throughout the year, including A Most Violent Year, Interstellar, Miss Julie, and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Best Picture - Boyhood
Best Actor - Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Best Actress - Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Best Acting Ensemble - cast of Birdman
Best Director - Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Best Original Screenplay - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo (Birdman)
Best Adapted Screenplay - Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)
Best Supporting Actor - J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
Best Supporting Actress - Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Best Young Actor/Actress - Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood)
Best Cinematography - Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman)
Best Art Direction - Adam Stockhausen/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Best Editing - Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione (Birdman)
Best Costume Design - Milena Canonero (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Best Hair and Makeup - Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Visual Effects - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Best Animated Feature - The LEGO Movie
Best Action Movie - Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Actor In An Action Movie - Bradley Cooper (American Sniper)
Best Actress In An Action Movie - Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow)
Best Comedy - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Actor In A Comedy - Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Best Actress In A Comedy - Jenny Slate (Obvious Child)
Best Sci-fi/Horror Movie - Interstellar
Best Foreign Language Film - Force Majeure (Sweden)
Best Documentary Feature - Life Itself
Best Song - Glory by Common and John Legend (Selma)
Best Score - Antonio Sanchez (Birdman)
Louis XIII Genius Award - Ron Howard
Lifetime Achievement Award - Kevin Costner
MVP Award - Jessica Chastain.

Director Richard Linklater's Boyhood was the toast of Hollywood at the Golden Globes on Sunday (11Jan15) after picking up three of the night's biggest honors.
Linklater claimed the Best Director prize, while the film was named Best Motion Picture, Drama and Patricia Arquette landed the Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of a single mother looking for love.
Boyhood has now become a clear favorite to pick up the Best Picture Oscar after taking home a string of top gongs this awards season.
The Theory of Everything and Birdman were double winners at the Globes, while The Affair, Transparent and Fargo led the TV categories with two awards apiece.
It was also a very good night for newlyweds Eddie Redmayne, George Clooney and John Legend - Brit Redmayne picked up a Best Actor honour for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, John Legend was a winner for his song Glory from the movie Selma, and George Clooney took home the 2015 Cecil B. DeMille Award. Both Clooney and Redmayne paid tribute to their new brides in their acceptance speeches, with Redmayne revealing he and his wife "of about a couple of weeks" had to cut their honeymoon short to attend the prizegiving. He added, "I thank the HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) for giving us a night at the end of our honeymoon we will remember."
The full list of winners is:
Best Motion Picture, Drama - Boyhood
Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama - Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama - Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical - Amy Adams (Big Eyes)
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical - Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Best Director - Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Best Original Score - Johann Johannsson (The Theory of Everything)
Best Original Song - Glory by John Legend &amp; Common (Selma)
Best Animated Feature Film - How to Train Your Dragon 2
Best Screenplay - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris &amp; Armando Bo (Birdman)
Best Foreign Language Film - Leviathan (Russia)
Cecil B. DeMille Award - George Clooney
Best TV Series, Drama - The Affair
Best Mini-Series or TV Movie - Fargo
Best TV Series, Comedy or Musical - Transparent
Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie - Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Honorable Woman)
Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical - Gina Rodriguez (Jane The Virgin)
Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama - Ruth Wilson (The Affair)
Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie - Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo)
Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical - Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent)
Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama - Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie - Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey)
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie - Matt Bomer (The Normal Heart)

The Grand Budapest Hotel emerged as the top contender for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards on Friday (09Jan15). The oddball comedy, starring Ralph Fiennes, lead the charge with 11 nominations as the shortlist was announced by the ceremony's host Stephen Fry and Hunger Games star Sam Claflin in London.
The Theory of Everything and Birdman closely followed with ten nominations, and all three movies will go head-to-head for the coveted Best Film prize, alongside The Imitation Game and Boyhood, which both received a host of nods.
The Grand Budapest Hotel also picked up a Leading Actor nomination for Fiennes, Director and Original Screenplay nods for Wes Anderson, and mentions in multiple technical categories including Music, Costume Design and Cinematography.
The Theory of Everything will also compete in the Best Leading Actor category for Eddie Redmayne, leading actress for Felicity Jones, Best British Film, Best Director for James Marsh, and Best Adapted Screenplay, while Birdman's Michael Keaton received another awards season nomination. The film's director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu earned a nod, as did supporting actors Edward Norton and Emma Stone.
The lead actor category is completed by Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) and Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), while other contenders for the female counterpart include Reese Witherspoon (Wild), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Julianne Moore (Still Alice) and Amy Adams (Big Eyes).
Further nominees for best director are Richard Linklater for Boyhood and Damien Chazelle for Whiplash.
Pride, Paddington, The Imitation Game, '71 and Under the Skin will compete for the Outstanding British Film title.
The winners will be announced at London's Royal Opera House on 08 February (15). The show will be hosted by Fry.
The main nominees are as follows:
Best Film:
The Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Boyhood
Best Leading Actor:
Michael Keaton - Birdman
Jake Gyllenhaal - Nightcrawler
Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything
Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game
Ralph Fiennes - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Leading Actress:
Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore - Still Alice
Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon - Wild
Amy Adams - Big Eyes
Best Supporting Actor:
Steve Carell - Foxcatcher
Ethan Hawke - Boyhood
Edward Norton - Birdman
Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons - Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game
Emma Stone - Birdman
Rene Russo - Nightcrawler
Imelda Staunton - Pride
EE Rising Star Award:
Jack O'Connell
Margot Robbie
Shailene Woodley
Miles Teller
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Outstanding British Film:
The Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game
'71
Paddington
Pride
Under the Skin
Best Director:
Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Birdman
Richard Linklater - Boyhood
James Marsh - The Theory of Everything
Damien Chazelle - Whiplash
Best Original Screenplay:
Richard Linklater - Boyhood
Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo - Birdman
Damien Chazelle - Whiplash
Dan Gilroy - Nightcrawler
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Gillian Flynn - Gone Girl
Graham Moore - The Imitation Game
Jason Hall - American Sniper
Paul King - Paddington
Anthony McCarten - The Theory of Everything
Best Animated Film:
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
The Lego Movie

Richard Linklater's Boyhood is continuing its awards season haul by winning the best film prize from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle in Canada on Monday (05Jan15).
The drama, which was shot over 12 years, landed a further Best Film accolade to go alongside similar trophies from critics circles in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto, Canada.
Birdman was the frontrunner in the nominations stages, but only came away with one win for Best Director for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, while The Grand Budapest Hotel's Wes Anderson landed a prize for Best Screenplay.
Jake Gyllenhaal saw off competition from Michael Keaton and Benedict Cumberbatch to win the Best Actor trophy for his role in Nightcrawler, Tilda Swinton was named Best Actress for Only Lovers Left Alive, while J.K. Simmons and Patricia Arquette won supporting acting trophies for Whiplash and Boyhood respectively.
In the Canadian categories, French-language films Mommy and Tu dors Nicole swept the board with three prizes each.

Rappers The Game and Tyga were among the thousands who participated in a march in Los Angeles on Saturday (27Dec14) to protest against the controversial police killings in the U.S. The Los Angeles natives, along with hip-hop producer DJ Mustard, joined activists who took to the streets of Hollywood as part of the Millions March Protest, demonstrating against the recent grand jury rulings which cleared police officers over the death of two African-American men, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, in separate incidents.
Various photographs and videos of the music stars in the crowd were posted on social media showing them wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the slogans "Are ((WE)) Next?" and "Black Lives Matter".
According to the Los Angeles Times, the demonstration was peaceful.
The West Coast version of the Millions March comes weeks after a similar event in New York City. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and rapper Nas were among the celebrities who joined 30,000 protesters in the crowd marching through the streets of the Big Apple.

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Summary

American writer Michael L. Simmons' first association with Hollywood came in 1933, when his novel The Bowery was adapted for the screen. Simmons went on to freelance at Monogram, Universal, and Columbia. Many of his screenplays were radio-series derivations: the Lum & Abner vehicle Two Weeks to Live (1942), the Scattergood Baines escapade Cinderella Swings It (1943), and Republic's Cosmo Jones: Crime Smasher (1943). In 1947, four years after his last screen credit, Michael L. Simmons published the instructional volume Writers' Handbook of Basic Journalism.